Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Vassia Barba

Prince Harry showed 'moment of sadness' as dad King Charles passed him in the Abbey

Prince Harry experienced a "moment of sadness" as his father, King Charles III, passed him during the coronation procession at Westminster Abbey, according to body language expert Darren Stanton.

In a historic moment for the British monarchy, King Charles III was crowned in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Follow The Mirror's live blog for all the latest updates from today's historic event

Mr Stanton noted that Harry appeared confident and elated throughout the ceremony, but displayed fleeting moments of sadness as his father passed him on his exit from the Abbey.

The expert suggested that Harry may have experienced feelings of nostalgia as he watched the ceremony "from the outside looking in".

During the ceremony, Harry was also seen adjusting his sleeves in a pacifying gesture, perhaps seeking reassurance in the midst of the emotional event, according to Mr Stanton.

Mr Stanton commented: “Harry was confident and seemed genuinely quite elated throughout the ceremony.

Body language expert Darren Stanton said Harry experienced 'moments of saddness' (Getty Images)

"He showed signs of pride towards his father, however, during the procession as King Charles passed Harry on his exit from the Abbey, Harry displayed fleeting moments of sadness within his facial expressions."

He added: "As he was on the outside looking on, it seemed Harry experienced feelings of nostalgia too. A noticeable moment was when Harry was seated in the Abbey, he was looking for a reassuring figure and appeared slightly out of sync compared to everyone else.

"We saw him adjusting his sleeves in a bid to reassure himself - a tell-tale pacifying gesture."

The coronation of King Charles III was a challenging event for Harry, due to the strained relationship with his father.

However, despite any underlying tensions, Mr Stanton claimed that the Duke of Sussex felt compassion throughout the ceremony.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort were crowned in a lavish ceremony (Getty Images)

Mr Stanton, from Betfair Bingo, said: "He displayed signs of emotion and compassion throughout the ceremony, which was no doubt challenging for him at times. However, as the ceremony played out, we saw Harry ease, in his stance and his expressions.

"He relaxed and gained more confidence, appearing how he did when he first arrived."

Meanwhile, body language expert Judi James observed that during the historic event, Prince Harry returned as a "joker" and was seen mimicking his cousin Eugenie's heavily pregnant state upon his arrival at Westminster Abbey.

His action made Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, laugh.

Harry then used his body language to display a confident and upbeat approach as he made his way up the aisle.

Ms James noted that Harry arrived with his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie, who have "remained friends despite the rifts in the royal family."

Prince Harry arrived at the Coronation alone as Meghan Markle stayed in California (AP)

S‌he told the Mirror: "Chatting first to Edo he then got the attention of Eugenie and Jack and we saw an incredible return of the joker prince as Harry grinned and used two hands cupped widely under his stomach to do what looked like a mime of Eugenie’s heavily-pregnant state.

After chatting with Eugenie and Jack, Harry fell back to walk alone.

He continued to display his confident and happy demeanour as he made his way up the aisle, nodding, grinning, and chatting with people in the congregation.

Ms James added: "Still smiling and with his cheeks rounded, he then proceeded to perform a display of what looked like rather cocky bravado.

Prince Harry appeared confident as he arrived at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation ceremony (Aaron Chown/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
He chatted with his cousin, Princess Beatrice (Zak Hussein / SplashNews.com)

"His striding walk looked jaunty as he pushed one side of his jacket away before making his way up the aisle nodding, grinning, using eye-brow flash rituals and chatting with people in the congregation as though signalling to the world that he was upbeat, confident and happy to be back."

Prince Harry arrived alone at the ceremony as his wife Meghan and their children remained at home in California, where the couple has lived since quitting as working royals in 2020.

As King Charles and the key royals joined a magnificent military procession after the ceremony, Harry stood waiting outside the abbey until a car arrived to drive him away.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.